Nebelwerfer EM Shoulder Straps (Smoke Troops)

Product Description: A matching set of WWII German Heer Nebelwerfer enlisted slip-on shoulder straps, featuring bordeaux-colored artificial silk Waffenfarbe piping denoting service in a Nebelwerfer (smoke/rocket artillery) unit. Constructed from field-grey wool with solid backing, both straps remain structurally sound and in excellent overall condition. The front surfaces retain strong color with minimal wear consistent with age and field use, while one strap shows very light moth thinning on the underside. A desirable and original pair, rarely found in such well-preserved condition, exhibiting honest period wear.

Historical Description: The German military as well as civil, political and paramilitary organizations traditionally used shoulder straps and shoulder boards as uniform insignia, to denote the rank or function of the wearer. After the Nazi rise to power in 1933, there was a tremendous increase in the number of groups and organizations in Germany wearing officially sanctioned uniforms, and most of these organizations used shoulder straps and shoulder boards as a component of their regalia. The exact color of piping utilized, the material color, the type of braid or Tresse that was used, and the number or location of devices and pips present, allow shoulder boards to be tracked to the exact organization that issued them, and often yield even further detail such as the wearer’s rank and even his specific military unit. Normally worn in pairs, the boards were in some cases plain, and in other cases adorned with detailed embroidery or metal emblems. Some shoulder boards were made in the millions, others were specific to a single individual.